On Saturday, March 9, at 2:30pm, in the downstairs research center, the Colton Area Museum’s (CAM) guest speaker program will feature Mr. Larry Rivas, long time Colton resident, Business owner, and Parks and Recreation Commissioner.
Born in Colton, Mr. Rivas, grew up attending Colton Schools and graduated from Bloomington High School in 1979. After attending Riverside Community College, Mr. Rivas attended University of California – Riverside, and graduated with a major in plant engineering. Several of his family members remained in the Colton area, and two of them, his grandfather and aunt, were part of the legendary baseball/softball teams, Cubs and Senoritas, respectively.
Mr. Rivas will offer a look at the preliminary plans and current efforts by our city to develop a Colton Community Soccer Sports Complex, currently planned for the open area just south of Congress Street. “Many challenges have presented themselves” say Mr. Rivas, “but we're confident we can address these issues, and move forward to getting this project built.”
Some of the challenges that Mr. Rivas will talk about are acquiring the land, endangered species, water, contamination mitigation, and completing the required environmental studies. “Once this preliminary work is completed, then we can look for funding,” says Mr. Rivas. A possible funding source that might be available around September, are the funds allocated for Prop 68 grants. These funds would go a long way to help us finance the estimated $17 million project.
In addition to the Sports Complex, Mr. Rivas will offer an overview of Colton’s major city parks, including Chavez Park, Veterans Park, Fleming Park, and Davis Park. By doing so, Commissioner Rivas would like to take some suggestions that he can take back to the Parks and Recreation commission for consideration.
Community residents and visitors alike are invited to attend this informative presentation on Saturday, March 9 at 2:30pm. The Colton Area Museum offers an interesting slate of guest speakers throughout the year. They represent a wide variety of perspectives and experiences that are not only informative, but inspirational for those who want to know more about Colton’s History – past, present, and future.
The CAM will also be open that day, March 9, 11:00am – 2:00pm providing the opportunity to see the many outstanding displays of Colton history. The CAM address is 380 N. La Cadena Dr in Colton. Regular CAM hours are Wednesdays and Fridays from 1:00pm-4:00pm, and on Saturdays 11:00am-2:00pm.
For more information about the museum and it programs, contact the museum at 824-8814, or Dr. G at 213-3730